Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vacuum anchor system and particularly to such a system suitable for use in a fall protection system.
Technical Field
Fall protection systems, which include fall arrest or fall restraint systems, are used in order to provide safety to personnel working at height. For certain applications, such systems are known to employ vacuum anchor devices, particularly where required for temporary attachment to elevated metallic structures. Such systems can be used in fall arrest or restraint systems for use by personnel working on, for example, aircraft wings and fuselage; storage tanks; ships and the like. The vacuum anchor system is ideal for use in such circumstances because it does not require any permanent fixing structure (i.e. can be temporarily attached) and does not therefore damage the surface to which it is attached.
A remote vacuum source is typically utilised to supply a vacuum to the vacuum anchor. The vacuum source commonly utilises a pressurised gas supply connected to a venturi, which creates a suction force to draw the base against the surface to which it is mounted. The pressurised gas supply may be remote to the anchor, and may supply more than one anchor simultaneously. It is also known to provide the gas supply in the form of a pressurised gas bottle mounted on the anchor, which obviates the requirement for pipes connecting to a remote supply, which can provide a trip hazard when trailing along the work surface.
It is necessary for the worker connected to the anchor to be able to move freely on the elevated structure, and it is known to rotationally connect the lanyard to the anchor to enable this freedom of movement. However, as the worker moves about the anchor, it is possible that the lanyard may become tangled with the pressurised gas bottle, providing an inconvenience or worse still causing the bottle to disconnect from the anchor, potentially releasing the vacuum.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved vacuum anchor which addresses the above described problems and/or which offers improvements generally.
According to the present invention there is provided a vacuum anchor as described in the accompanying claims.